Bulgarian woman arrested for same-sex kiss in Dubai

A 36-year-old Bulgarian woman stood trial for kissing and cuddling a 30-year-old Lebanese woman on a public beach in Dubai on May 19 2008, local newspaper Gulf News said.

Both women pleaded not guilty to charges of kissing, cuddling and sleeping on each other like married couples before the Dubai Court of Misdemeanour. The judge has adjourned the case for a ruling, the paper said.

The women are currently on bail. According to Gulf News, initial interrogations revealed that the two were spotted being intimate together on a public beach between Sharjah and Dubai.

They were charged with kissing, groping each other and indecently gesturing in public. Witnesses claimed that they saw the Lebanese girl sleeping over the Bulgarian and the two were cuddling.

The suspects were arrested by Sharjah police, who later referred them to Dubai's Public Prosecution because the alleged crime fell beyond its jurisdiction.

A judicial source confirmed to Gulf News that this was believed to be the first case of its kind in the country.